Phillies Prospect #66: Chris Kissock

Chris Kissock made the most of his first season as a pro and looks to move up the ladder in the Phillies organization. The Canadian right-hander still needs to be fit into what role he'll play for the Phillies.

Acquired: Drafted by the Phillies in the 9th round of the 2007 Draft.

B: R  T:   R  /  Height: 6' 5"  /  Weight: 195 pounds

2007 Team/League: Williamsport (New York / Penn League)

Games/Games Started in 2007: 13 games / 2 starts

School: Lewis and Clark State

Repertoire:  Chris Kissock is generally a fastball and slider pitcher who will mix in a curve and change-up here and there to keep hitters guessing. His fastball is generally just over the 90 mile per hour region and he gets late movement on his fastball. His curve has a distinct break and when he's on, he gets good bite and a sharp downward movement on the pitch. His slider and change-up are modest pitches, with his change-up occasionally showing great promise for the future.

Pitching Style: This is exactly the kind of pitcher that the Phillies love to find. Kissock has good size and a powerful build and he loves to pitch. In college, he threw 169 pitches in one game and didn't appear to have lost much on any of his pitches even late in the outing. As often happens with pitchers of his build, Kissock occasionally loses his mechanics and gets himself tied up, so to speak. The Phillies know how to simplify things for pitchers like Kissock and are tinkering with his mechanics to put him in a better, more consistent form.

Projection: The Phillies had Kissock start a couple of games at Williamsport last season and are unsure of just where they'll have him pitch (starter or reliever) long-term. A lot will depend on how his secondary pitches develop, because he'll need either his curve or change-up to become a much stronger pitch for him to succeed as a starter. Otherwise, it's possible that Kissock could become a late inning reliever, with the potential to become a closer prospect.

What else you should know about Chris Kissock: Majored in Kinesiology (the study of body anatomy and its movements) at Lewis and Clark State.

Chris Kissock career stats

YEAR/TEAM	W	L	ERA	SV	G	GS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	KO	WHIP	OPP AVG
2007 Williamsport	2	3	3.74	2	13	2	33.2	37	17	14	2	9	26	1.37	.284

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